Don’t Look Now, But Blake Bortles Is Quickly Rising Up the NFL MVP Leaderboard

Okay, he may not be quickly rising up the MVP Board, but he is now officially on the board at 80 to 1. Take that Chris Simms. The Jaguars have looked to be equally impressive on defense again this year, and Bortles has picked up the offensive slack without running back Leonard Fournette’s services in their 3-1 start. Bortles has thrown for 1095 yards and 7 touchdowns through the 1^st quarter of the season, while Fournette only has 20 rushes for 71 yards without a score in his injury ridden start to the year. Bortles has actually filled the gap in the running game nicely too, rushing for 132 yards on 18 carries, leading the team with a cool 7.3 yards per rush. It’s nice to finally see his name on the board, but Bortles still finds himself disrespected well behind even the likes of Joe Flacco (+2000), Mitchell Trubisky (+3300), Andy Dalton (+5000), and rookie Saquan Barkley (+6600). While this season looks to be another successful one down in Jacksonville, it seems like the MVP trophy may have to wait. I’m sure Jack Mac will give you a full breakdown of all things gambling odds later this week, but let’s take an in-depth look at the Top 5 candidates right now:

5. Aaron Rodgers (+800)

Look, the award is going to be won by a quarterback this year. The last 5 MVPs have been quarterbacks, as well as 10 of the last 11. While the standings may show that the Bengals, Ravens, Bears, and Titans are off to a hot start, the oddsmakers in Vegas aren’t fooled. Many of the usual suspects are still in the Top 5 of the MVP list, including the gunslinger from Green Bay. Rodgers doesn’t rank in the Top 10 in the NFL in either passing yards or touchdowns, but the 2-1-1 Packers are right in the thick of things and Rodgers is due to explode. After criticizing the Packers “terrible offense”, expect the Packers to play up to their ability on Sunday when they visit the Lions, who are giving up a 23^rd in the league 28.5 points per game.

4. Tom Brady (+800)

Fancy seeing you here, Tom. After a 1-2 start, 49 states in the country celebrated in their annual “Window Closing” parade. Sportswriters all across the nation deemed that Brady was too old, his and Belichick’s relationship was too tarnished, and the Patriots had handed over the reigns of the AFC to another franchise. What a difference a week makes. After a 38-7 thrashing of the Dolphins, all of a sudden the Patriots are right back in the thick of things, and Brady has some new toys to play with, too. Julian Edelman returns from his 4-game suspension tonight vs. the Colts, and Josh Gordon looks to be getting more integrated into the offense. Gronk is still in the building too, folks. With 918 yards and 9 touchdowns through 4 weeks, Bradys numbers aren’t setting the world on fire. But Vegas knows what is coming. Same damn thing that happens every year it seems. The Patriots are going to go 12-4 and Brady is going to be right around the top of every passing statistical category. 8 to 1? Buy, buy, buy.

3. Drew Brees (+600)

3-1 and top 3 in passer rating is not a bad start for the 39 year old. Although he stayed away from the end zone last week in a 33-18 victory at the Giants, Brees threw for 8 scores in the previous three weeks. The Saints sit atop the NFC South, and they only get stronger as running back Mark Ingram returns from suspension this Monday night against the Redskins. Although Ingram’s return will likely help New Orleans as a team, the Saints are likely to revert back to their run heavy offense that features the top running back tandem in the league in Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Brees won’t need to throw as much, meaning his statistics may not line up with an Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes at years end.

2. Jared Goff (+500)

The Rams look to be the most dominant team in the NFL, and their 3^rd year quarterback is a huge reason why. Goff is 2^nd in the NFL with 1,406 yards, and he’s 1^st in passer rating with a score of 127.3. While his main competition for the award, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, also sits at 4-0, Kansas City’s defense has been so poor that they only rank 6^th in FPI (team strength going forward). As the Rams continue to be the best team in football, Goff’s stock will continue to rise. Both players’ stats are eye-popping, and both teams records are unblemished. It may come down to who outshines who in a November 19^th Monday Night Football matchup when the Chiefs visit the Rams.

1. Patrick Mahomes (+400)

Just give him the award now, right national sportswriters? Through 4 games, Mahomes leads the league with 14 touchdowns, 3 more than anyone else. He is completing 65% of his passes, going for 1,200 yards and a passer rating of 126.5. On top of throwing for 300 yard and 3.5 touchdowns per game, Mahomes also has himself a signature moment now. When being chased on 3^rd down by Von Miller, down 3 in with 3 minutes to go in the 4^th quarter, Mahomes couldn’t get his body turned around, so he reached into his toolbox to throw the ball left handed for the 1^st down.

I mean, Michael Vick has a 56% career completion percentage with his left hand. Patrick Mahomes has a 100% rate. The Chiefs are 4-0, averaging a league best 36.2 points per game, and are showing no signs of slowing down. All things are coming up Mahomes right now.